Arizona 6100-Series printers support several different UV Curable Inks, each with a unique application focus, cosmetic profile and utility set. These models feature 6 or 7 color channels, supporting the use of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, Light Cyan and Light Magenta; and White ink for printers with the optional extra color channel installed. Due to the use of UV curing technology, the ink is effectively cured immediately after printing, but a small residual curing effect can continue for up to 24 hours. In most cases, the printed material can be handled or cut directly after printing.
IJC261 UV Curable Inks are the most "industrial" of the inks available for these models. They have been designed to maximize adhesion function and handling latitude for the most difficult media to print upon, including complex or hard plastics such as polypropylene, polyethylene and acrylic. They have a slightly softer than average surface, that feels a little "slippery" to the touch, and feature a decidedly matte finish (low angle reflectivity). As a consequence of their lower reflectivity (gloss), they also have a slightly smaller color gamut than the other available inks for these models.
IJC262 UV Curable Inks are the most generally applicable inks available for these models. They have been designed to provide good adhesion function to a broad range of commonly used graphic arts media but don't perform quite as well as IJC261 on complex plastics such as polypropylene. They cure with medium hardness and a slightly and feel a little "rubbery" to the touch even though they are completely cured. They have a satin, semi-gloss finish and considerably larger color gamut than IJC261 but are not as resistant to handling (finger marks prior to printing) and don't work as well for exotic materials.
IJC255 UV Curable Inks are a somewhat specialized option for these models. These inks have been formulated to provide maximum color gamut and reflectivity (gloss) levels but their adhesion function is best suited for paper-based media and media especially designed for digital printing applications. They support only marginal adhesion to plastics and vinyl and relatively poor adhesion to complex plastics such as polypropylene. However, since they feature the lowest odor profile and hardest surface finish of all inks available for these printers, they are very appropriate for those customers using a High Flow Vacuum configuration model to print on highly porous media such as corrugated cardboard.
NOTE
These inks use small piezoelectric nozzle actions ("spitting") between periods of inactivity to keep the printheads in a ready-to-print state.
These inks have very little odor, but like all industrial, high-volume printers attention to ventilation rates and room volume is needed to ensure operation that is both safe and comfortable for the operator. Please refer to the Site Preparation Guide.
NOTE
Read the section on ink safety called "Safety Guidelines for Ink Material" before you handle the ink.
CAUTION
Wear gloves when contact with ink or maintenance materials is possible. Gloves should always overlap sleeves. Follow the ink related Safety Data Sheets (SDS) guidelines carefully in order to ensure maximum safety. For example use Ansell Microflex 93-260 gloves, which offer a protection against UV inks and flush up to one hour. Pollution with other chemicals can shorten the protection time against UV inks and flush.
Wear eye protection as prescribed in this document when performing a task or action in this area.
The ink is supplied to the printer in 3 liter (2 liter for white ink) collapsible bags. To install on the printer, the bags are inverted and the quick connect couplers are pushed into their corresponding female coupling. This opens up the flow path for the ink. The bags contain tags that identifies them to the printer when they are loaded. This allows the printer to ensure that the correct ink is loaded.
This method of ink delivery has several benefits over bottles or cartridges:
The self-collapsing bags make it easy to see how much ink remains in each bag.
Virtually all the ink is successfully extracted from the bag by the printer, reducing ink waste.
Ink changes are performed without mess or spills.
Ink changes can be performed during printing, preventing wasted prints and lost time.
Only qualified inks can be used. If a bag of ink with an invalid serial number, expired use-by date, incorrect color placement in the ink bay, or if an expired tag is connected to the printer, then the operator is alerted and an error message is displayed.
CAUTION
Uncured ink is a serious health and safety risk! Avoid skin contact with ink and wear safety glasses with side shields and Nitrile rubber gloves when handling ink.
IMPORTANT
Do not install inks that are not certified by Canon for use in this printer, as this may result in poor quality prints, uncured ink in the finished prints and permanent damage to the ink pumps, filters, ink lines or printheads.
The UV ink in your printer is protected from contaminants in the ink by means of ink filters. These are easily accessed and can be replaced by the operator when they become blocked with debris (see the Maintenance section "How to Change Ink Filters"). The expected average lifetime for a filter is 50 liters of ink.
NOTE
A loss of pigment when printing a nozzle check or long ink fill times indicates that a filter is clogged and must be replaced.
To ensure good quality images and to extend the life of printheads in your printer, it is important to have good UV ink management procedures. UV inks must be properly handled and stored correctly.
Inks must be stored within a temperature range of 5 - 30°C (41 - 86°F). Exposure to extreme temperatures will reduce the expected life of the ink.
Do not use ink that is past the expiry date displayed in the Ink System Status menu (click the Ink icon in the Print Job Control module to view the ink menu).
Store in cool, dry place and keep away from heat and direct sunlight.
Safety Data Sheets for each color of ink and the UV Flush are available on https://downloads.cpp.canon/. Read and periodically review this safety information to ensure optimal safe handling procedures and proper emergency responses are followed when using UV inks and flush. See also Safety Information.